KC – Page 3 – THE SPLENDOR OF IT ALL

LET GO AND GET BACK TO BASICS

Published on December 19, 2021December 23, 2021 by KCLeave a comment

So, I have made quite a few BIG decisions in the past couple of weeks and probably the most shocking one is….Drum Roll Please…..

I have traded my super smart iPhone for a not so smart flip phone! Oh yes I did!

You’re probably saying “what a crazy lady!” Yah I know…However, If you have been reading my posts these past few months, you will have seen a post about what is happening to our kids who now have cell phones and spend all of their time with their faces glued to their screen and how that disconnect is actually taking us further and further away from the most important things in life!

For several months now I have been logging just how many times a day I picked up my smart phone and I’m ashamed to say that with all the gadgets and apps associated with that fancy phone the highest number was 127 times. That was in 16 hours. That equals 7.93 lifts an hour and I didn’t even burn any calories for it.

I had to stop myself and take a long deep breath and ask “what the hell was I doing that was so important to pick up that device 127 times?” The stone cold truth is NOTHING!

I found myself tripping around from Face book to the earthquake app then over to Pinterest. Then I would check my text messages, moving onto checking out all the news on Signal, Rumble, Telegram. I checked my astrological forecast every day to see what kind of a day I could expect (like that really makes any difference at all). I checked my fit bit to see how many more steps I needed before I hit my target goal for the day. I played a little backgammon with myself and won. I spent a few minutes stalking my grown son on FB messenger, and it seems that I did many of these activities several times a day, almost as if I was a pre-programmed robot.

Since giving up my iPhone – I have spent many quality hours with my elderly mother, I cook more wholesome meals. I have been outside everyday breathing in the fresh air and playing with my pup. The biggest difference and I feel the most important one, is that I feel less stressed, more connected to the earth and reality and I sleep better!

So…I challenge everyone to put down your phones and devices for one whole week! Try new things, breath more fresh air, soak in some sun, and let the folks in your life know that you love them with your undivided attention. See the difference for yourself!

Blessings to you!

Mid-Week Inspiration #1

Published on December 9, 2021 by KCLeave a comment

THE MIRROR

Published on December 5, 2021December 5, 2021 by KCLeave a comment

Life is an ever constant opportunity to learn. I don’t just mean the type of learning that takes us to a classroom or requires us to delve deeply into thousands of books written by others, but a type of learning that we do every single day and for most of us, we don’t even realize it, as we go about our lives doing the everyday things such as chores, jobs, and tending to our external needs etc…

Have you ever noticed how interesting it is when a situation arises that something or someone comes along and it seems familiarly uncomfortable? You recognize it from a distance or seem to connect an invisible set of dots, but have no conscious understanding of the whys or wherefores? Or maybe you do understand, but it brings about an ‘aha’ moment that is not something you want to face at that particular time, but the universe is forcing you to look into that mirror in order to teach a lesson?

I had one of these moments on Thanksgiving Day. Now that I’m an empty-nester and there is no family nearby to celebrate the holidays with, my husband and I enjoy going to a local restaurant every year for Thanksgiving dinner. This year I wasn’t in a particularly celebratory mood. It felt like a real effort to gussy up and get out of the house. When we arrived we were told that our reservation time had been noted for an earlier slot and then left forgotten for sometime by the wait staff. By the time we were seated, I was feeling quit irritable, but did my very best to suppress this feeling, as I am supposed to be happy and grateful, no matter what runaway emotions are swirling about my head.

Enter the family of 5 seated right next to us – 2 adults and 3 children with the youngest getting into a high chair and screaming at the top of his little lungs for no obvious reason. At this point I couldn’t help but make some not so nice comment under my breath to my husband, the family didn’t hear me and for this I am very glad, as I can be quit cutting with my tongue when I am completely depleted of patience.

After about 10 minutes into this energy invasion, I excused myself to go to the restroom, I had to pass this family, when all of a sudden the little girl at the table locked eyes with me and joyously announced to everyone – “Look momma isn’t she beautiful?” I swear the wind had been knocked right out of me and as I stood there processing the words of this angelic creature, with her sparkling blue eyes and perfect blond locks of hair teasing her cheeks – All I could do is kneel down to her level and whisper “I think you are beautiful too.” I smiled at her parents as I regained my composure and stood up. I slowly walked away in the direction I had originally intended all the while shaking my head in amazement. I had been truly humbled by an innocent five year old on this day set aside for giving thanks.

I have spent the last several years looking into those numerous mirrors presented to me during my awakening and I admit this one touched my very core, because we are all beautiful! We can behave in an ugly way, but when we peel back those layers and begin to discard those actions and emotions that no longer serve our higher purpose – that light is truly visible to all who have the hearts to see. That mirror then becomes less of a lesson and begins to magnify our light beacons just as our creator had intended.

Blessings to you!

Life sometimes gets in the way

Published on November 30, 2021 by KCLeave a comment

My apologies for being a stranger of late, but life sometimes gets in the the way. Lately, I have been feeling very disconnected from the world. I have spent this time reaching deep within myself trying to see beyond the veil in hope that I can gain a better understanding of what is real in this world and what is not. Breaking free from the 3d matrix is not an easy task and yet I feel more confident than ever it can be done. It’s a journey and I am grateful for this higher understanding as I am beginning to see clearly now and will return soon with a more enlightened perspective on many things.

In the mean time – I felt like sharing my ALL TIME favorite poem by Rudyard Kipling – Enjoy and much love and light to you all!

Blessings to you!

If you can keep your head when all about you
  Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
  But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
  Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated don’t give way to hating,
  And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
  If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
  And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
  Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
  And stoop and build’em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
  And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
  And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
  To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
  Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
  Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
  If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
  With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
  And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

FORGIVENESS

Published on November 14, 2021November 15, 2021 by KCLeave a comment

The word itself evokes numerous thoughts, feelings and often times a complete shutdown.

I understand firsthand what it means to forgive, but equally understand why some people simply cannot forgive something done to them or another close to them.

There is an invisible cloak wrapped around us all when we hang onto anger, this cloak serves to protect us, but can also smother us and keep us from reaching any type of inner peace/happiness.

I want to be very clear here, just because you forgive someone, doesn’t mean you have to forget or that you excuse the behavior that led to the action. Forgiveness is about YOU, not them. You must understand that forgiveness CAN happen even if others are unable to admit to any wrong doing. Again, it’s about your healing, not theirs. It’s about you taking back your power over you!

Forgiveness simply put, is the decision to let go of anger, resentment, and other thought forms such as sadness and confusion. These negative thoughts we associate with people or past situations in our lives can form such deep roots within, that often times we don’t even recognize that we are carrying them around, because we tend to associate them with everything going on externally and neglect to understand it really is something from within that manifests outward given enough time.

I had to take a good look in the mirror myself several years and ago and was faced with making the hard decisions about what I needed to change in my life in order to enjoy healthier relationships, feel less stress and anxiety, enjoy a body that wasn’t being beaten down all the time, and lastly, improve my overall outlook about life before all that negative energy swallowed me up – It was my ‘SNAP OUT OF IT’ moment and it was unimaginably humbling.

I had to learn that there was no way to move forward when I was being weighted down by the past. I had to convince myself that no matter what duty, responsibility, or obligation I felt toward others, I had to put myself first.

I had to give myself permission to detach from people who projected their negativity outward, because my loving heart always wanted to heal them and once I realized I could not save anyone but myself, this detachment became slightly easier. I will add that your perspective does change when you are no longer standing in an energy draining cesspool.

There are a number of ways one can begin this healing path to forgiveness and I encourage anyone who doesn’t feel able to manage this on their own, to seek out some type of support to help you navigate the emotions that will undoubtedly surface during the process.

I will share my personal experience though and say that in the beginning I had a good idea what my issues were, but I just wasn’t able to process them in a constructive way. I tried therapy for a little while, but ultimately it was my own curious nature that lead me to so many books, which I ferociously devoured one by one. No one book offered all the answers, but I was able to take bits and pieces from the many and incorporate the information into sustainable daily practices that worked for me.

In the end, it was journaling and meditation that provided the answers I needed to see further into myself. By keeping a journal for several years – I was finally able to understand my patterns – I could go back and say WOW, I’d been doing this or thinking that for a long time and apparently it wasn’t serving me in a good way. Once I saw the cycles I was stuck in for so long, I was able to navigate my way out of the darkness and into the light.

No one ever said this process of forgiveness would be easy, because nothing worth doing is, but if you consciously want to be free from all the negativity, ill health, depression, anxiety, and low self worth associated with holding onto things that no longer serve you, then find your path to a more loving way of being – I can tell you first hand – IT’S WORTH IT!

Blessings to you!

LOVE

Published on November 7, 2021November 15, 2021 by KCLeave a comment

This post is about LOVE – I have learned to live my life in these challenging times by reminding myself daily of these four words; Love, Compassion, Gratitude, and Forgiveness – I actually wear a necklace that has these engraved on all four sides and whenever I am feeling out of sorts – I hold onto it and recite these words to myself. To my astonishment every time I do this – I feel immediately transported into my heart and everything else melts away.

Love is the invisible string that binds all consciousness together. Through love, everything can be manifested into being.

Throughout history the subject of love has endlessly been studied, written and philosophized about, because love is by far one of the most powerful emotions we as humans experience. It has the ability to create a positive and or equally negative response.

In this post I will only focus on the positive, because once one goes down the path of negativity – well…simply put…it can lead you anywhere.

First, let us begin with the varied definitions of love out there. Merriam-Webster defines the essential meaning of love as “a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person” , “ strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties” and lastly, “affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests.” I didn’t feel it necessary to include the references to sexual attraction here, as my personal views are that sex is more of an act born out of this very strong emotion and I personally view sex as more of an instinct; it is not always brought about by love.

The ancient Greeks placed love into six forms; friendly or platonic love, love of family, self love, divine love, unrequited love, and guest love.

The authors of romantic literature have broken out these six forms even further to include; consummate love, compassionate love, unrequited love, and infatuated love.

Canadian psychologist John Alan Lee created the Color Wheel Theory of Love. This theory breaks down love into three primary, three secondary and nine tertiary love styles and he used a traditional color wheel to represent this. This triangular theory of love suggests “intimacy, passion, and commitment” are the core components of love.

With such diversity involved in one four letter word, it is safe to say that love can be used to mean just about anything, always based on the complex feelings we as individuals assign to it.

For me, love is all of the above and infinitely more. Love is what I feel when the sun shines on my face. Love is what I feel when my dog runs toward me after romping in the freshly cut grass. Love is what I feel when I see a child who is happy and carefree. Love is what I feel when I write these blog posts.

Love for me is life itself!

Blessings to you!

References:

Merriam-Webster. http://www.merriam-webster.com. Accessed 7 Nov. 2021.

Lee, John Alan. Colours of Love: An Exploration of the Ways of Loving. Toronto, Canada, New Press, 1973.

PAUSE, BREATH AND REGROUP

Published on November 3, 2021 by KCLeave a comment

This week has been a challenging one for me, as I have been putting my energies for the last couple of months into a possible new business venture and after much reflection and meditation, realized with everything in such flux right now – the best thing for me to do, is to hit the pause button.

Well, I’m not a pause button type of person! I’m a get things done right now kinda gal! I run circles around my family and have heard many times throughout my life that they are exhausted just watching me go go go from one thing to another. I am known by my family and friends as the Whirling Dervish.

I wouldn’t say that I was the neurotic type, but I do have a never ending list, you know that piece of paper that is crinkled and well worn because I cross 2 things off and then add five more, turn it over and continue onward. You may even know someone just like me!

This last 24 months has been mind numbing to say the least. I always thought of myself as a fairly down to earth person, who had finally learned to go with the ebb and flow of life, but recently I have realized that I may have been drifting out to sea – completely unbeknownst to me and now I can’t seem to settle my feet on solid ground.

The world is spinning so fast with no visible or rational charted course before us – So many variables, so much pain, anger, frustration, sadness, deception, and loss. I am having a very difficult time sorting through all the information and filtering out truth from make believe.

I suppose my point here is this; when all else fails and you cannot grab onto something tangible, pause and take several deep breaths – this will calm the mind and allow your heart to catch up – because only by coming back to your heart will the answers you seek, be answered. This allows you to reconsider all options open to you and allow you to make decisions based on what you truly want and not spontaneous choices from a place of elevated emotions – which can often lead us down an unwanted path.

Blessing to you!

Becoming a Better Version of Myself

Published on October 26, 2021October 26, 2021 by KC3 Comments

I was having a conversation the other day with my mom, who is 79 years old this year. She said something to me that really got me thinking. She stated that one of my most endearing qualities was that throughout my entire life, no matter what was going on, I always tried to improve myself.

I have been thinking about this since she said it and looking back on my life, didn’t find that to be a quality so much, as it was just part of who I am.

I have certainly made my fair share of mistakes, side-steps, and occasional bad choices, but I do like the idea that no matter what, I did try to learn from them and through them become a better person.

Often times in our youth, especially if we have had any kind of trauma, we plow through each situation just to get to the end of it, so we can put it behind us. I personally have discovered this doesn’t always work like we pretend it does. If anything, it often felt like I may have reached the end of something, but only scooped it up and placed it in the imaginary backpack I carried for so many years! The bag no one ever saw, but weighted me down on so many levels even more than I could have ever imagined.

There are those defining moments in life, at least for me when I finally threw down that pack, turned it upside down and shook everything out, so that I could sort through it and banish once and for all what no longer served me in order to become a better version of myself.

Share your defining moments! When did you finally open up your backpack and sort through the stuff inside?

Blessings to you!

THE SEARCH

Published on October 24, 2021 by KCLeave a comment

The search to find out where we as individuals fit into the big picture is a daunting one to say the least.

You may feel unhappy or dissatisfied with your life. You may wonder what is real, what is not real about your purpose in life. Do I even have a purpose? If so, what could it possibly be?

You may be of an age where you’re looking behind you and realizing that wasn’t the life you had intended, but that’s what it is and there ya have it and now that you’re halfway through it believe whole heartedly– it’s too late.

You may be young and have your whole life in front of you and still have no clue where to even begin?

If you feel or have felt any of the above – I can tell you from personal experience, no matter what point in life you find yourself – IT IS NEVER TOO LATE!

I no longer think about life in a linear fashion. I do not believe that this gift of life is a straight line – you know the typical cradle to death scenario which has been ingrained into our psyche since the beginning.

I have previously mentioned a bit about my life, but what I have left unsaid to this point is that even in the darkest hours of my life, two things have always remained constant from a very early age; the first is that I always felt deep inside that there was something bigger than myself out there and the second, I innately knew that no matter what happened, everything was going to be ok.

These two things remained during homelessness, addiction, broken marriage, and a self-destructive nature I had no understanding of at the time.

I can also say that because of those feelings that remained constant within me, I was always trying to better myself, not to fulfill optics for others, but I was searching for something – of course I had no idea what that something was until a few years ago – I was searching for me.

Now, this is where the first five paragraphs of this post come into play. We are searching for who we are and trying desperately to understand how we fit into this tidy puzzle called life – a life defined by others.

WE DON’T FIT – EACH OF US ARE UNIQUE – SO HOW CAN WE FIT INTO A MOLD CREATED BY SOMEONE ELSE – Think square peg into a round hole – Simply doesn’t work and if you force it, it will change the structures into something else.

Blessings to you!

We Are Enough!

Published on October 23, 2021 by KCLeave a comment

We are in such times, that it is more important than ever, to understand that we are enough.

I have lived my life up until a few years ago, with the feeling of never being good enough. The yard sticks by which my life had been measured, I now realize were false and absolutely ridiculous, but of course it took me nearly a lifetime to understand that those measurements were created by someone other than myself.

The programming that started for each and every one of us the moment we came into being, combined with the expectation of others, society and even our parents were always and forever their projections onto us, but were never US.

The desire to be perfect…perfect children, perfect students, perfect employees, and perfect parents didn’t do me any good at all! I finally came to understand this was all an illusion and with that of course, came the heart breaking knowledge that I had been set up for failure from the word go.

I will admit that I was one of those people who spent a good part of my early life blaming everyone else for those failures. I can say from experience, this anger, constant feeling of inadequacy, and the desire to please others, genuinely held me back from finding my true self. I felt if I pleased everyone else it would all be alright and through that mindset, lost track of my individuality.

An example of this would be blaming my father for abandoning me after my parents divorced when I was five years old. Then I blamed my mother whom I felt emotionally abandoned by, because she lived a life of illness that started in her youth and followed her relentlessly throughout her life in one form or another.

Through the years I slowly began to understand that we all have struggles, some seen and many unseen. Once I released the emotions, the distorting fog lifted and I could see things quit differently! I saw that she is the strongest person I have ever known and worked against every obstacle to keep us together, all the while making sacrifices I could never have imagined to keep me safe and instill some sense of normalcy in our otherwise, chaotic life.

When I first became aware of this life altering realization, I was overwhelmed to say the least. It took years to accept responsibility for my own thoughts, emotional reactions, and feelings. I had lived a life where my emotions ruled everything I did. Often times those out of control emotions led me to make choices a secure, emotionally mature – clear thinking person would never make.

Facing yourself and asking the question “Who am I really” opens up the opportunity to explore yourself quietly from within. What we find inside is most certainly uncomfortable, but as we grow to understand that we are enough – the veil slowly lifts and we can see, feel and explore the world in a new way.

My big take away was that while anger, frustration, and insecurity ruled my life, there was no room for love, compassion, gratitude, or forgiveness.

Please feel free to share your moments of awakening. You never know who’s life you may touch along the way.

Blessing to you!